Keenan McCardell interviews to be Jaguars' receivers coach

The Times-Union Former Jacksonville receiver Keenan McCardell (left) stands on the Jaguars sideline during a 2009 game.

Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey would like to have his whole staff of assistant coaches put together before the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28.

He made progress toward that goal over the long weekend.

The Jaguars interviewed Keenan McCardell, the franchise’s second-leading receiver, on Monday morning for the position of receivers coach.

“It went good,” McCardell said by phone. “It went pretty good, I must say. We’re still talking. You just never know, Jacksonville would be a great place. … At the end of the day I have to teach guys how to be successful just as I was successful.”

McCardell, who lives in Virginia, spent the morning in Jacksonville and met with Mularkey. The Jaguars head coach told McCardell he would be in touch.

“It’d be great to get the opportunity to get the job,” McCardell said.

McCardell, 42, was the Washington Redskins receivers coach last season, but he was informed last week that they would not renew his contract. The Redskins’ passing offense ranked 14th in the NFL. Their leading receiver was Jabar Gaffney, who caught 68 passes for 947 yards.

McCardell played for the Jaguars from 1996 to 2001 and caught 499 passes or 6,393 yards. Last season, the Jaguars struggled to develop their receivers. Jacksonville promoted Johnny Cox to offensive quality control coach after a chain reaction on the offensive staff left them without a receivers coach. When defensive coordinator Mel Tucker took over as interim head coach, he fired Cox and made Mike Sheppard, who was hired as quarterbacks coach last year, the receivers coach.

The Jaguars are expected to seek receivers in free agency and the draft this year. Their expectation is that those additions, plus improvement by quarterback Blaine Gabbert, will improve what was the league’s worst offense last season and the lowest-ranked passing offense.

Mularkey met with most of the Jaguars’ coaching staff from the 2011 season this past weekend.

The Jaguars won’t re-sign defensive backs coach Cory Undlin, and have considered Johnnie Lynn, who was a secondary coach in Philadelphia last season until the Eagles fired him this month. The Eagles struggled during the 2011 season, despite bringing together three of the best defensive backs in the game in Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Jacksonville kept Craig Aukerman on staff, signing him to a new contract Monday. Aukerman was a defensive assistant last season, but the Jaguars kept him on as an assistant special-teams coach, a role Nate Kaczor held last season.

Mularkey has not selected a special-teams coordinator, but it isn’t likely to be Russ Purnell, last season’s special-teams coordinator. Purnell spent the past three seasons in Jacksonville after spending seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

Brandon Blaney, who was another defensive assistant for the Jaguars last season, will also be back with the team.

The Jaguars also announced linebackers coach Mark Duffner officially signed his contract.

In addition to a special-teams coordinator and receivers coach, the Jaguars have yet to hire a quarterbacks coach. Mularkey said that coach would be someone with coordinator experience, with whom offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has worked before. The Jaguars also have yet to hire an offensive line coach and running backs coach.

The Jaguars are planning to fill their coaching staff before turning their attention toward analyzing their own pending free agents. Once the staff is filled, Mularkey and general manager Gene Smith will meet to discuss the roster. The Jaguars have four defensive starters from 2011 who will be free agents unless they re-sign in the next two months — safety Dwight Lowery, defensive end Matt Roth, cornerback Rashean Mathis and defensive end Jeremy Mincey.